Young WMU hockey duo dependable on defense

Brett Beier | Special to the Kalamazoo GazetteWMU defenseman Danny DeKeyser shoots the puck on net before MSU forward Trevor Nill (4) can get in the way during the Nov. 5 game at Lawson Arena.

KALAMAZOO — Danny DeKeyser and Luke Witkowski have more in common than just being teammates on Western Michigan University’s hockey team.

They’re both from Michigan — DeKeyser from Clay Township, one-half hour north of Detroit, and Witkowski from Holland.

They’re both blueliners, paired as the top defensive duo.

They’re both 20 years old, although DeKeyser, a freshman, is five weeks older than the sophomore Witkowski.

They’re both 6-foot-2, but that’s where the similarity ends.

DeKeyser, who scored the only goal in the Broncos’ 5-1 loss against the Miami RedHawks Saturday night, weighs 171 pounds while Witkowski is a more solid 201.

Danny DeKeyser

“(DeKeyser) was a very skinny kid a couple years ago and he’s still kind of skinny, but he’s putting some weight on,” WMU coach Jeff Blashill said.

As for the goal, his second in the 14 games so far this season, “It’s always nice to add them to the score sheet, but overall, it’s not really our main job, which is to keep the puck out of the back of the net,” DeKeyser said.

The two did not start the season as defensive mates, but Witkowski said he feels very comfortable with the pairing.

“He was hurt most of last year,” Blashill said. “Danny actually skated with our (Indy) team two years ago, kind of a practice tryout at the end of the year after he had played a year with Trail (junior team). He’s come a long way, he really has.

“His game has really, really transitioned well. The things that he’s good at are very important at this level. It’s very important as he moves forward in hockey here.”

Blashill said it didn’t take long to pair the two together.

“With the left (DeKeyser) and the right combination, we thought that was important,” he said. “They’re both two guys we think can do a great job defending.

“They have real long sticks, they both skate very well. As a pair, we think they can match up against other teams’ best lines and do a good job defending it. For the most part this year, they’ve done that.”

The young pairing is not at all unusual for the Broncos, who have three freshmen and three sophomores on the blue line.